1,384 Comments for Gaebler Children's Center

That's horrible.

EW What's that on the floor? I love basketball.

pookie,

Is there a specific DSS you would write to or just the general boston headquarters address?

What the...?

If I am not mistaken that is how the seclusion rooms on the ward I was on looked like, I was on ward D...friggin god dam scary for any child, and the mentally world is horrible to kids, I mean jail is so much better then this place ever was..thank god it closed down, my boyfriend almost died in there because of physical abuse by a couple staff members,...thank god he was abkle to escape, I would be totally lost without him and until this day he is still in my life, thank god, cause he is the only person who can really understand me...

To Larry,
jJust to add one more thing, you need tto get the letter notorized as well when sending the requet for your records....I hope I was able to help you out in this matter....

To Larry,
You can get your records, I was there from 82-84 and I got my records, the problems is that they black out al l the staff's names who said what about you to whom and things like that, but, for the most part you can figure out for yourself. All you have to do is write to DSS and get them, you need to send a coy of your license or picture ID, a copy of your birth certificate to prove it's you and tell them the years your were at Gaebler and they by law have to send you a copy of your complete and total history there, I did it when I turned 21 or 22years old and I got them all, then aIso got all my records from DSS and everything with them and then I went to St.Germaine Lawrence School in Arlington,mass for a couple of years and I got all those recoeds too. If you have any problems, let me know, I will helpo you....

Yes, this is a seclusion room, and it's very scary, and the staff would leave you in there for hours, and if you didn't stop yelling and screaming then they would close the big door to the 2 room seclusion area so that even they couldn't hear you never mind the other children on the ward. My boyfirned at the time, was always being secluded, and he was so strong that they always had to call for help from the other wards, they treatd him like shit, and he was so abused mentally and physically in there. It's not a humane place for anyone..we were just kids, kids with ordinary problems like everyone else, but, soiciety and our parents chose to lock the doors & throw away the key. I can't even explain the fear of that room, yes i was in it, and yes, it did smell but, on my ward they did at least clean it up if a child had an accident.

I was a patient there in 1982-1984. I was on Ward D. I have to say that this is the picture of the recreation room, but, I am not a 100 percent sure. I am 40 now. This was a horrible place to put children. I remember my first day there and I had to have a physical and take all my clothes off and I refused so they took them off for me, they didn't sexually do anything toi me, but, I so felt violated. They don't let u have much things, you have to go ask the staff for things like,shampoo, toothepaste,toothbrush, and tampoons. I remember, Melanie,Jack, Willie and Suzanne and Harvey. Willie & Suzanne were the nice staff but, all the other's weren't. I think they understood us kids more than anyone there. I did meet the best friends there ever, and that is because they all understand each other. I have kept in contact with 3 of them. Let me just say this, the slamming down a child on the floor to seclude them and then call for help for all wards when they couldn't get the kid down was crazy, then they would throw us in the seclusion room,it was a small cold room with a metal bed. and a little window to see outside to. If you threatened to kill yourself, then they would come back in and take all your clothes off and leather restrain you to each post of the bed, and leave you there for ours naked. I also remember every morning being locked in the shower room, that was scary cause at any given time a staff member could go in there and rape one of us kids, and I am sure that sometimes that did happen, I don't know about it on my ward but, I did hear stories iof it happening. There was so much more to say but, there is just not enough time on here. There was really so much abuse in that place, between the lock downs,the drugs u were forced to take and how the staff treated you if they didn't like you, and among other things. but, I will say this, you were able to earn priviledges to go outside on nature walks with other kids from the other wards with the staff and to go outside at recess during school hours, and yes school was inside the building on the bottom floor and yes were also locked inside for school. Just a really unjust and humane place for any child, I mean jail is so much better than this place. All, I can say is that I am grateful to one boy who saved me from all the bad in that place and we are still together as friends. So, for all you people who keep going out there to take a look at Gaebler, what you see is not how it really was......

I look at this picture of the gym and I remember Willie taking me and Tony (from D Ward) to have a one on one basketball match, to 21.
I beat Tony 21 to 18, it was a good game and Willie played the ref for it.

I would love to do a documentary, unfortunately I'm in Colorado and don't have the means of getting there.
Dennis mentioned he's close by and knows the places I talked about.
I wish there was a way I could fly there and meet Dennis and people wanting to do a documentary before it gets torn down.

If you do click on my name to read my postings, you have to sift through to the ones with the pictures on here.
There are others Johns that have posted about places I have never been.

Insomnie,
the rumors are true.
If you click on my name you should be able to read all my posted comments on here.
I knew they would tear this down, I posted that I had a feeling about that last year.
Waltham doesn't want the memories of that place to taint them any longer, but those memories will remain, for those of us who was there, forever.

was there,
I just signed up with the yahoo group.

Allyssa,
Sorry, haven't been online in almost a year.
I think I'll sign up for that yahoo group that someone made, if it's still up.